Vigil planned for Serra Catholic student killed in Dravosburg crash
Friends, classmates and others plan to gather at McKeesport’s Serra Catholic High School on Thursday night to honor the life and mourn the death of Samantha Lee Kalkbrenner.
Kalkbrenner, 15, a Serra Catholic student from Dravosburg, was killed Wednesday after the school van she was riding in crashed, authorities said.
Three other juveniles — like Kalkbrenner, all students at Serra Catholic High School — were injured and taken to a hospital in stable condition, authorities said. Their injuries did not appear to be life-threatening. Two men were taken to area hospitals in critical condition, Allegheny County Police said.
Related:
• Serra Catholic student killed in school van crash in Dravosburg
“We invite all students, family, friends, alumni and community members touched by this tragedy to a prayer service (Thursday) evening at 7 p.m. at the Serra Catholic High School stadium,” the school said in an online statement. “All are welcome.”
Jennifer Antkowiak, a spokeswoman for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, called the Serra Catholic community a “close-knit” one and said Kalkbrenner’s death “has deeply impacted many.”
Serra Catholic canceled classes and school activities through Sunday. Teachers and grief counselors were scheduled to be at the school from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday for any students who would like to talk.
Justin Vellucci is a TribLive reporter covering crime and public safety in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. A longtime freelance journalist and former reporter for the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press, he worked as a general assignment reporter at the Trib from 2006 to 2009 and returned in 2022. He can be reached at jvellucci@triblive.com.
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